Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Ice Cream

When you bring the best ingredients to your kitchen, you will be rewarded at your table. The truth about cooking is that it is not the technique that makes one a star, but the decision one makes long before the food hits your kitchen door. Where possible, buy the best quality ingredients you can put your hands on. Note, we did not say ‘afford’ becaue there is a false notion that anything epicurean must be expensive. In fact, many gourmet retailers exploit that notion, overcharging to make their products/produce look “more elite.” This is a sad fact, so prudent shoppers will shop around to get the best deal. Some items have seasons and in fact are actually cheaper to buy in their season as nature supplies them in bounty. However, some staple pantry items are indeed expensive and stay so-year round. We suggest that you splurge on those things that make your life taste just a little better and balance the budget by shopping for produce in their season.

Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is one of those premium items that never go on sale. It is just in too much demand and has a finite supply. While there is no shortage in Jamaica, it is very expensive, but worth every penny. We wanted a creamy, accessible homemade ice-cream recipe to showcase this famous product of our beloved homeland. While Chef Lij often makes ice cream in highly expensive commercial ice cream machines, there is no such gadget in our home. At home, we use a KitchenAid stand mixer with an ice cream attachment. We figure that you do too or at least some other home machine so this recipe will work well in whatever equipment you have.

We know one of the sons of the farm that produces this Coffee Traders coffee. Run by the Sharp brothers, it has blossomed with the opening of their boutique coffee shop brand Cafe Blue, with our favourite branch perched on the hills of the Blue Mountains themselves. Jason is a fun organizer of the Red Stripe mound at Sabina Park cricket matches in Kingston and their Blue Mountain coffee takes us back to the sweetness of Jamaica, Land We Love. Blue Mountain coffee is regulated in Jamaica the same way that cheese and ham are in Europe. There is also high mountain coffee, which is still fabulous but not equal to the Blue Mountain variety. We take our coffee seriously.

With all this pride in our cool beans, we had to find a recipe that did them justice. We loved that this one actually uses whole beans. We took the recipe for this ice cream from Elise of Simply Recipes, who was guided by David Leibowitz, author of “The Perfect Scoop.” We did a few things differently, but not enough to call it our own.

We used Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

We infused the coffee in the cream for 3x longer, warming up and cooling off (but only till warm).

We topped our ice cream with tempered 75% dark chocolate ganache for added texture and an even more intense coffee flavour.

CHEF’S NOTE: To make this dinner party compatible, serve a single small scoop with a small square of a chocolate cake, or drizzle with a cherry sauce for a compatible flavour profile. I do not advise that serve non-decaf coffee ice cream to children because I will not be responsible for them breaking your things and dancing on the ceiling all night.

I agree how some ingredients are simply overpriced 🙁 Just a sad sad thing for people like me who would like to enjoy high quality ingredients without breaking the bank. Love the photos of the beans swimming in milk 🙂 Glad to see you guys back and up and running!

Didi, you have to know how, where and when to shop. Plus, there is nothing wrong with eating things only in season or when they are affordable. In fact, it enhances the whole experience if we do not eat foie gras everyday!

You’re right about splurging on great ingredients, including coffee, chocolate, vanilla, butter, maple syrup, etc. There are a few that will make all the difference in the most simplest of recipes. Great pairing. And congrats on Jamaica’s big Olympic wins!

This is one dilemma that I always face – the notion of high price related to high quality. Sometimes when I do find good ingredients at honest prices I start questioning about the integrity of the product in question!

Great post chefandsteward – that ice-cream looks absolutely delicious! The texture looks so creamy, wow perfect. I too love the photography of your ice cream, infact all of your dishes come to life through the lens of your camera! Fabulous workmanship chefandsteward.

Ishita, that is the unfortunate thing! Just like how the organic produce here was ridiculously expensive then there came a box produce offering that was not so pricey but still expensive and then when a real farmer’s market shows up with real farmers and picked-that-morning produce, it gets lost behind those with great PR connections. Sad.

Abigail, your children will love you for it.. and V’s wife will have to come really good to impress him because his mama made her ice cream from scratch! Happy to see that you have gotten a little break. Hope all is well with new baby.

I have to learn. Somehow since we did not experience seasons, most vege and fruits are available all year round (with the exception of fruits – I am more familiar with the seasonality of this). Have a lot to learn about vege and more!

Amazing! And you have to make me some to try because my mouth is so watering right now, I had to reach for the less than good commercial ice cream I have in the freezer!! I love everything Jamaican but am partial because I feel that Jamaica has given me such a huge gift! lol but I always hear of Blue Mountain Coffee and never have tried it yet! Hint, hint lol

I can see you have been inspired very evident in your new blog posts 🙂 Your photos are stunning Kari as always.

Good tips Chef. I love all things party size, and I dont mind jumping around the room so fully caffeinated for me please 😉

I agree fully– splurge on those small, simple things that make life much more delicious. They’ll be memorable. I love the soaking of the beans. Great idea. I’ve done that with truffles for truffle ice cream. Fabulous.